An earlier post showed before and after versions of a sugar glider done with colored pencils. The “after” image wasn’t complete, though, because it was still floating in space. It wasn’t grounded. There are many different ways to ground an image, and the step-by-step photos below show one of the easiest, using chalks or pastels.

1. Print and color. Print the image on cardstock. Also print an extra copy on regular printer paper. Color the cardstock image as desired. For this example, Prismacolor pencils were blended with baby oil. Since I’ll be using artist pastels for the shadow, it will be added last so that my hand won’t smear it while I’m working on the main image.


2. Mask. Cut the extra printout to make a mask (which is shown with blue paper here). Only the bottom half of the image needs to be trimmed carefully. The top part can be roughly cut about 1/8" beyond the image. Temporarily cover the colored image with the trimmed paper mask. Drafting tape will hold the mask in position without damaging the cardstock.

3. Blend the shadow. Artists’ soft pastels were used for this sample. They can be applied with either a cotton swab or a foam-tip makeup applicator. Rub the swab or applicator against the side of the soft pastel to pick up the color. Begin your stroke on the mask, dragging the color out from the image. Follow the direction of the arrows. Do not stroke from the outside towards the image because that will force pastel under the cut edges of the mask. After a soft shadow has been built up, remove the drafting tape and lift off the mask.

Left: Image is floating in the air above the cardstock.
Right: Image casts a shadow and looks like it’s sitting on the cardstock surface.

With the two images side by side, it’s easy to tell which one is floating in space. The cast shadow grounds the image so that it appears to be sitting on the surface of the cardstock. This example was one of the simplest, but the shadow’s color and size and be adapted to suit the design and layout on different cards and paper craft projects. You can also create a similar shadow with different media, including watercolors, colored pencils, and markers such as Copics.